Guided Reading Activity #3 Consolidating Understanding through Guided Imagery: DVD selection Drawings!

Reading Chapter 12: The Human Price in Carson, R. (1962). Silent spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Text Frames: Concept/Definition

Strategy: Guided Imagery (Buehl 2014)

Tommy and I initially discussed using another reading that I have been on the fence about for a while. It was about nitrogenous waste deposition in the Chesapeake Bay. However, that reading has so much integrated ecology information that it requires in-depth prior knowledge that the students wouldn’t necessarily have until much later in my senior class. We decided to take the other reading that I had chosen from Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.

I chose this reading because it shifts from the environmental perspective to a more human-based approach of pesticide use. It illustrates that often times, something that harms the environment harms our bodies as well. It also explains that long term effects are a distinct possibility and that they have just as dangerous effects on the human body over a longer amount of time. This can sometimes be a very unrealistic scenario to my students.

Buehl describes the Guided Imagery activity as enabling students to mentally visualize their assigned reading and then place it on paper enhance their understanding of the assignment (2014). First, it is suggested that each student is given a small object to look at and then draw to a partner, without telling them what it is. They should be able to do so accurately through their drawing. It is important to write what worked and what did not on the board so that they are able to have a structure for the actual reading exercise. Next, they will take a worksheet (see my drawn example below…excuse the messiness!) and write a “DVD” scene selection using the text that the read the night before. They will also need captions to describe their scenes, using the language that the author uses (2014).

My DVD Scene Selection for Carson's Silent Spring chapter on health effects of pesticides

In the past, I have used drawing images to enhance learning and the students were extremely receptive to it. This reading is difficult to both read and digest because of how grim it is. I think that guided imagery will help to bring a visualization to the information in this final chapter of Silent Spring. Buehl also writes that this activity is for “imagery rich short texts” which this most definitely is (2014). It is important with a reading like this that the students are able to establish a personal connection, as I think it helps then establish how detrimental environmental problems can be to someone’s life. This is a great activity to promote discussion and interpretation of the reading after it is assigned. It will also help them in summarizing the main ideas of a reading with a lot of information. Finally, this activity requires students to use observational skills to accurately and thoroughly explain what they have gathered. This is a tool we are currently working on in my class through field observations.

When I conducted this activity myself, I found myself rereading the chapter sequentially without even realizing that I was doing so. (It was pretty cool!!) I also found that this was the first activity that actually had me doing what the text described, which was to improve my depths of knowledge of the reading through drawing pictures. I am most definitely going to use this for one of my reading activities in my classes!

Buehl, D. (2014). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (4th ed.). Newark, DE. International Reading Association

Guiding Comprehension Overview Blog Post

Text: Colinvaux, P. (1978). Why big fierce animals are rare: An ecologist's perspective. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Text Frames: Cause/Effect and Concept/Definition

Strategy used and resource: Science Connection overview (Buehl 2014)

            Out of the long list of guiding comprehension activities in our text, the natural choice for my next assignment was the science connection overview (Buehl 2014). This strategy involves having the students work with a partner to preview a chapter and fill out a worksheet by first writing down the words and phrases that seem familiar to them. They then look for material that has already been covered and take notes on that. Using the past two questions and what they have picked up in the skimming, they then formulate questions that may be answered in the text. Finally, they predict what the author will try to convey in the reading. This strategy is great for difficult readings and, depending on how the class receives this activity for Why Big Fierce Animals are Rare, I may use the same activity for peer-reviewed journals as well.

I am excited to use this strategy in the upcoming assignment of this particular reading, mostly because the students were given a previous chapter from this book and struggled with it. The chapter is focused on the ocean, and while it gives great examples of why the ocean is a less efficient ecosystem than a terrestrial system, the author assumes that the reader has a good grasp on basic ecology at this point in the book (it is chapter 9). Before reading, the activity required me to skim through the chapter to look for phrases and ideas that were familiar to me before I read the chapter. Quickly looking through the paragraphs, I jotted down anything that my students have already covered this year. Even doing that, had me less nervous about assigning this reading. Next, without going back to the text, I used the previous questions to formulate what questions this chapter may be asking. This is interesting because if there are some questions that students ask that are not answered in the chapter, we may be able to have an extended discussion for deeper learning. Finally, I took a guess as to what the author may try to answer in the ten pages of the chapter.

When I finally go to reading the chapter, I was able to organize my thoughts and was able to highlight much more efficiently than when I had read previous chapters from this book. I think that I would like to do this activity in class and then assign the reading for home, and ask for annotations. A follow up discussion could be framed around whether or not students’ questions were answered and whether or not their predictions were correct about the author.

Below are the science connection questions and the notes I took before reading.

What’s familiar? Skim the chapter for things that are familiar and that connect with your life and world.

•  Deserts have low nutrients
• Calories
• Productivity
• Measuring plant tissue
•  Nutrient cycles
• Dams
• Pollution
•  Rule of tens
• Food chains
• Overfishing

What topics are covered? After skimming, what seem to be the main ideas of this reading?

• ·         Productivity in the ocean
• ·         Nutrients in the ocean

What are you wondering? What questions do you have about the material that may be answered in the chapter?

• ·         Why aren’t there a lot of nutrients in the ocean?
• ·         Where do the nutrients come from?
• ·         How does the sea life get the few nutrients?
• What will the author tell you? What is the structure of this reading?
• ·         Ocean is a desert
• ·         There is not a lot of plant life
• ·         Nutrient cycles in the ocean
• ·         Humans taking food from ocean is bad

Buehl, D. (2014). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (4th ed.). Newark, DE. International Reading Association

Save the Last Word for Me

Text: Chapter 10: Indiscriminately from the Skies in Carson, R. (1962). Silent spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Engagement Strategy: Save the Last Word for Me
Resource: McLaughlin, M. (2015) Content Area Reading:  Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness.  Boston:  Pearson

The text I chose for this assignment was roughly 8 pages from Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. The chapter is titled “Indiscriminately from the Skies”, and describes the broadcasting of DDT via retired WWII planes. I chose this reading for a number of reasons. First, Carson’s writing style is extremely clear. She does not bog down the reader with technical terms and when anything is mentioned that involves a deeper understanding, she makes sure to explain it in a few sentences. On a personal note, I believe this was the reason that Silent Spring became such an incredibly popular book upon its release. Regarding the particular chapter, the theme goes from explaining how the DDT was broadcasted to a brief history of how gypsy moths arrived and spread to the US, and then finishes with the effects of the DDT in New York. In 8 pages, it covers a large amount of information that the students have learned about in my class. It is also the text that some say started the outcry to form the EPA, which adds a huge historical component to the reading as well.
For an engagement strategy, I will be using the “Save the Last Word for Me” activity. In this activity the students will write a passage from their reading and the page number on the front of an index card. On the back they write why this quote stood out to them and what it means to them. When they get to class, they will get into small groups (four or five) (2015 McLaughlin). One student will begin and read their chosen quote. After that, each student around the table will explain their thoughts on the quote. Finally, the student that started reads their written thoughts on the back of the card. I would add extra time at the end of each student’s round so that they can compare their written thoughts to those of the groups. I would then have the students share any interesting occurrences with the rest of the class to wrap up the period.
 I chose this particular activity because there are a few components that add to successful comprehension of this reading. First, each student is asked to share with each other in small groups. This adds an extra aspect of motivation to the assignment, so that students do not let their peers down by skipping the assignment. Also, while in small groups, they may be more comfortable sharing with only a few students rather than the entire class which can promote the exchanging of ideas. Finally, it may allow for students to clarify sections of the reading that one of their peers did not understand.